Additionally, a court-appointed attorney in a dispute involving Georgia’s 2020 election was denied to the former Black Voices for Trump leader.
The former Black Voices for Trump director is currently being held in one of the nation’s most dangerous jails while awaiting trial on allegations that he attempted to assist in the overturn of then-President Donald Trump’s loss in the state of Georgia in the 2020 election. A Georgia judge has denied bail and refused to appoint a court-provided defence attorney for the man, which means that at least temporarily, he will remain there.
The decision was reached by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Emily Richardson on Friday, and as a result, only defendant Harrison Floyd—out of the 19 people accused in the Georgia Trump case—will continue to be detained while the case is being prosecuted. One of two black defendants is him. After being arrested this week at the Fulton County jail, Trump and 17 other suspects were freed on pre-arranged bonds.
Judge Emily Richardson stated, “I do find that based upon the open charge against you, there are grounds for bond to be denied at this point, so I’m going to go ahead and find that you are at risk to commit additional felonies and at risk of fleeing the jurisdiction.” She was referring to a misdemeanour assault accusation against Floyd that was brought after an altercation with two FBI agents who had issued him with a grand jury summons in Maryland earlier this year.
Floyd voluntarily checked himself into the Fulton County Jail on Thursday to answer to allegations of witness tampering, soliciting false statements through conspiracy, and breaking Georgia’s racketeering laws. He allegedly tried to get a Fulton County election official to say she stole votes from Trump in order to get her job.
Floyd informed Richardson, “I’m on federal pretrial monitoring already. “Being under pretrial monitoring has not caused me any problems. I am not a flight risk in any way, ma’am. Prior to the president, I arrived.
When Floyd’s case is heard by the judge assigned to it, Scott McAfee, Richardson retorted that Floyd’s bond will be given full attention. Floyd asserted that he lacks the $40,000 to $100,000 necessary to engage a defence attorney. Richardson responded that Floyd could either find a means to pay for a lawyer or represent himself when McAfee takes over the case.
Floyd will be detained in the meanwhile at the Fulton County Jail. On the basis of claims that the institution was in unsafe conditions, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) opened an investigation last month. As of April, it was said that the jail was operating at 120% of capacity, and more than 91% of the detainees were like Floyd: criminal defendants awaiting trial who hadn’t been found guilty of the offence for which they were being detained. Violence has been rife in the facility, including stabbings and assaults on medical staff, as well as overzealous use of force by jailers.
Allegations that the jail was structurally unsafe were deemed to be plausible, according to the DOJ. In September of last year, the cell of a homeless guy being housed in the jail’s mental health section was discovered to be bug-covered and dead. His family alleged that he had been “eaten alive by insects and bed bugs.” Last week, a 66-year-old stealing suspect passed while in custody; this is the third such fatality in a month.
The Richardson decision to refuse bail sparked fury online, with some individuals alleging that the court was trying to send a message to any black people who might be tempted to support Trump. US Representative Burgess Owens (R-Utah) wrote on X (previously Twitter): “While Dems push cash bail for hardened criminals, Harrison Floyd sits in a jail cell with no bond.” Apparently, black Trump supporters are exempt from the laws of equity.
